Clarence Valley ratepayers could be paying $1 million a year to pay off a loan to help pay for a new aquatic centre in Grafton says a councillor. Last week at its November meeting, Clarence Valley Council approved a controversial funding strategy to that included borrowing up to $7.5 million to fund Stage 1 of the build. The strategy included three contentious moves and required three council votes. First, Cr Karen Toms was successful in rescinding a motion from September quarantining the $882,000 from the sale of the South Grafton Visitor Information for expenditure on economic development and tourism. Dr Bill Day, a former Clarence River Tourism Association manager, strongly opposed the change. He outlined how Grafton businesses had supported the construction of the site since the 1980s and were still paying special rates variation to fund it. He said a council committee to manage tourism promotion had failed and its latest incarnation was also in trouble because it was not adequately funded. “We have lived through Covid,” he said. “Tourism has been smashed, Grafton and Ulmarra have been bypassed, two visitor information centres have been sold. “If you want tourism to recover, reject this rescission motion.” Council vote 5-4 to rescind the motion and

“Leemo has views on just about anything”

LEEMO’S ‘kinda’ PLAN TO BOOK A CRUISE

Yep, it’s ‘Leemo Cat’ back again with much sort-of news! Well, ‘Mum Jane’ told me it is highly probable she will need a new knee soon. She also went into detail about my ‘only child’ duties during her recovery time. Ooooh, I’m EXTREMELY suss about this! (I don’t know why she can’t do something like go to the shops and buy a new knee like those blokes in London bought a Lion. On telling her my brilliant solution she most crabbily informed me new knees are not generally available for purchase in shops. (She has to go to a Hospital to get one.) Hmmm. Now the horror part. Mum said persons (her?) need to recover after getting a new knee, as it takes getting used to. She was, (misguidedly) confdent I was up to ‘minding her’ during her recuperation. This is not an enticing thought. ‘Mum, frstly, you can forget that outlandish plan, ‘cos me and my buddies will be on a cruise when you’re recovering so you’ll have to get a ‘Nurse Rattysox’ (like your Sister Cay) in to assist.’ (This is a small fb ‘cos we haven’t truly booked our cruise yet, but after hearing the above news it is now a priority on my ‘TO DO’ list.) Crikey, she’s looking most crabby. I thought I should elaborate more. ‘Mum, I’m telling you now; I am not showering you or helping you go to the bathroom. (Ye Gods, what a beastly nightmare thought!) NO WAY ..you’re a most old lady, I’m a young bloke. I mean Mum, how embarrassing for me to have to see your rude bits and wrinkles & stuff… aaarrrgh. And Mum, NOR am I willing to be at your grumbling beck & call, running around making you cups of tea & meals & doing the washing & cleaning. NUP, ain’t gonna happen… my buddies and me are ‘goin cruising, so there. Suck it up Mum! I threw myself into research about ‘Cat Friendly Cruise Lines’ AND FOUND ONE! Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. I ventured with my research and became a little dismayed. It appears the QM2 will allow felines on their sailings from New York to Southampton. Eeek? This means fnding a Feline Friendly airline to get us all to New York frst. BUT, as I read more about the cruise, I was shocked to hear we can’t have a deluxe suite to ourselves. We will be in a ‘space’ on Deck 12 (like the deck on the Titanic that sunk frst) where crewies will feed us and allow us playtime. NUP, NOT on! Ponder ponder. Whilst relaying this to Mum she asked “Leems, who may be paying for this adventure you are planning with your buddies pray tell?’ CRIKEY, I only have $32.27 in my savings, so I told her “YOU ARE MUM”. Oooh, you know the ‘look’ she gets on her pruney face. Not pleasant to look at. She (it) spoke. ‘Leems, you’re dreamin. I believe there are ‘cruises’ on the Wilson’s River in Lismore. They are for 10 mins. and will tolerate felines, providing you are caged. No treats included. Only $1.85 each. How does that sound?’ Yurreerk. ‘Mum, how about you keep your current lovely knee (suck up stuff) and NOT get a new one. How does that sound? Crikey, I do believe Mum & Me are at a stalemate right now. Kinda means it is almost time for treats & “Bluey”. Nitey, Leemo, with ‘plotting’ purrsies.

New disability provider opens in Casino

Disability support provider, Accessible Care & Lifestyle Services (ACALS), has opened a Casino offce to provide much-needed Support Coordination services for people in the Northern Rivers living with disabilities.

Support Coordination is available to eligible National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants and is designed to help them get the most out of the support services in their NDIS plan.

ACALS CEO and founder, Ruth Lopez Gonzalez, said understanding the NDIS isn’t always easy and quality Support Coordination can transform lives.

“The NDIS can be overwhelming to navigate and when it comes to managing NDIS plans, participants don’t always understand their rights, or know how to maximise the services covered in their plan,” said Ms Lopez Gonzalez.

“We want people to know that they don’t have to stick with the one provider for all their supports, and they can change providers at any time if they want to,”

“Education about the NDIS is so important. We see participants who’re suffering because they’re not getting the right level of support. If you need more services, your Support Coordinator needs to advocate for you to get them added to your plan,”

“Support Coordinators shouldn’t take over, because that’s disempowering, but they’re there to help you understand and manage your plan and can request additional funds if needed. This can really change your life. If you’re not getting the support you need, how can you achieve your NDIS plan goals?”

Ms Lopez Gonzalez encourages participants who want Support Coordination included in their plan, to contact the ACALS NDIS Access Offcer.

“Make an appointment to see our NDIS Access Offcer. In my experience, the success rates are low for participants who apply for Support Coordination on their own, so it’s a good idea to get an advocate to help you. And we offer this service for free, to ensure participants get the support they need.”

ACALS started in Sydney in 2017, and now offers over thirty

different Community, Aged Care and Disability Services. The Casino offce will initially provide just Support Coordination and add more services in the future.

“We’ve started with the service where we’ve identifed a pressing need.”

Ms Lopez Gonzalez, a 20-year disability services veteran, said ACALS started working with the Northern Rivers community during the 2022 foods, and they quickly saw participants needed more support with their NDIS services.

“We were there to help match participants with emergency accommodation and found ourselves educating people about how to manage their NDIS Supports,”

“The NDIS can be time consuming and stressful to navigate. We want to educate people about their rights and choices and help take the load off participants and their families.”

By April 2022, ACALS started a temporary mobile Support Coordination

service in Kyogle, before establishing a permanent offce in Casino in August.

“We provided a lot of information to the community in and around Kyogle. Word got around that we did things differently and a lot of people reached out,”

The Casino offce is fully accessible and currently has four Support Coordinators. Ms Lopez Gonzalez said participants are matched to a team member and then work with them on an ongoing basis.

“We offer continuity of care. Our approach is highly personalised and, if, for some reason, you can’t get through to your Support Coordinator, someone else will always pick up the phone during business hours. You never get the runaround,”

It can take up to three months for Support Coordination funding to be approved and Ms Lopez Gonzalez encourages participants who want Support Coordination included in their plan to request

this sooner rather than later.

“Funding takes time. We write end of plan reports and schedule your reviews and then the NDIS does a plan review, so you need to get in touch asap if you want to apply for new, or more, Support Coordination funding,”

“Your needs can change over time and it’s important your NDIS funding is adjusted accordingly.”

ACALS offers consultations in-home or at their new offce at 78 Barker St, Casino. To book a consultation or make an appointment with ACAL’s NDIS Access Offcer, call (02) 6699 5210.

“Quality Support Coordination can transform lives,” Ruth Lopez Gonzalez, CEO, ACALS

ACALS new Casino offce has a free NDIS Access service that helps participants get Support Coordination services added to their NDIS plan.